A LOT of audio clips from the show:GENERAL CHANGES: This is much like a passion play. Very minimalist. The “congregation” serves as a Greek chorus of sorts and tells the story to the audience.
OPENING CHANGES
The lyrics to Bells of Notre Dame have completely changed (melody remains). The song now focuses on Frollo’s rise to power, his relationship with his brother, Jehan, and how he came to be Quasimodo’s caretaker. Apparently, Quasimodo was borne out of Jehan’s relationship with a Romani woman.
CHANGES TO CLOPIN’S CHARACTER
He is no longer the main narrator and does not sing “Bells of Notre Dame” by himself. He sings it along with the congregation. As a result, Clopin’s iconic high note at the end of the song has now been eliminated.
QUASIMODO’S DEFORMITIES
First introduction of Quasimodo has Arden coming out on stage like a normal actor. He is then given a pillow for his hunch and then contorts his face. Also would like to point out that Quasimodo is deaf, so he communicates via sign language and reading lips.
HOW THE GARGOYLES ARE PLAYED
Very simply, there are no gargoyles…at least none that are moving. Their parts are played away from the action by various members of the congregation as part of Quasimodo’s imagination. There is really never any true interaction with him.
“HELLFIRE” STAGING
Frollo stands in the middle of the stage and sings the song with a giant red cross in the background. Sounds simple, but is apparently visually stunning.
CHANGES TO “SOMEDAY”
As implied by the program released by La Jolla last week, this song is only sung by Esmeralda and Phoebus. Gone is the ensemble aspect heard in the German version.
SAINT APHRODISIUS
Remember how I teased about how I’d love to see a headless guy running around on stage? It looks like my wish has come true. Quasimodo imagines a portrait of a headless Aphrodisius coming to life to give him pointers on how to rescue Esmeralda. Aphordisius then sings about how he helped Joseph and Mary. Then his head magically goes back on at some point.
ESMERALDA’S FATE
As many of you have heard already, she dies much like in the German version.
FROLLO’S FATE
He gets thrown off of the cathedral by Quasimodo like in the German version. This is apparently staged similarly to Les Miserable’s Javert suicide (which I have never seen), but with less success.
MOLTEN LEAD
No longer staged like Der Glöckner (with the cathedral’s gargoyle gutters spewing out smoke accentuated with red lighting). A cauldron is brought down and then the lava spills down the tower…but the lead is now portrayed by silk which is shaken by the actors.
FINALE ULTIMO
Still intense and still includes the deaths to Frollo and Esmeralda. However, at the very end, the townsfolk show their appreciation to Quasi by putting on makeup and hunching over to show solidarity.
COSTUME COLORS
Quasi – Green
Esmeralda – Red
Phoebus – Dark colors
Frollo – White
Clopin – Muted colors…
CLUCK 
CLUCK
It's actually a silent musical. So no songs.DisneyJedi wrote:So... Let me get this straight. Quasi is now deaf and uses sign language to communicate. Does he at least speak/sing vocally still?
Very funny, Patrick.PatrickvD wrote:It's actually a silent musical. So no songs.DisneyJedi wrote:So... Let me get this straight. Quasi is now deaf and uses sign language to communicate. Does he at least speak/sing vocally still?
Oh come on, smile a little sometimes. Life is beautiful.DisneyJedi wrote:Very funny, Patrick.PatrickvD wrote: It's actually a silent musical. So no songs.
I've always despised Esmeralda in the book, she's such a whiny, bratty and bitchy character that is beyond detestable, despite that she does show some kindness to Quasi now and then. It's a pity that she remained a bitch and I've always hated her with a big passion. Phoebus is just as much of an asshole and although I don't remember every detail from the book, you're mostly right about the characters being unlikeable, although I thought at least Gringoire had some decency.ProfessorRatigan wrote: As someone who has READ the original novel, I greatly prefer Disney's take. EVERY single character in the book is unlikeable. Not a one is a decent human being. Even Quasi is kind of an asshole in that thing, but, he at least has a reason. Phoebus is, of the main cast, the least despicable, but even he just wants to have sex with this chick and ditch her before he gets married and has to 'settle' for his (beautiful) fiancee. Esmeralda is whiny, mopey, bratty and, all in all, a total teenage girl, who spends the ENTIRE book pining for Phoebus. Frollo is a straight-up attempted rapist and a choad who has NONE and I mean NONE of the menace or deviousness of Tony Jay's portrayal. The Frollo of the book is EXACTLY like Esmeralda, only instead of pining for Phoebus, he's pining for HER, like a total teenage melodrama. And he's 35! So, he doesn't even have the excuse of, well, he's only 16... He's PATHETIC. A simpering, sniveling little man-child. HATE him. HATE, HATE, HATEEEEE book Frollo. Clopin is still cool in the book, but, he's a crusty old Gypsy and not the colorful and mysterious Master of Ceremonies Harlequin type that he is in the Animated version. And he's very minimally involved in the proceedings.
Disney got a lot of criticism for adapting a Victor Hugo novel and while it's understandable, it isn't the first time that Disney radically changed a lot from original adaptations and many of them being as raw as the original "Notre Dame de Paris" were. There aren't many that have actually praised the changes from the novel, although most fans of the film hated the Gargoyles and the comic relief.In short, I hated nearly every character in that damned book. I like the Disney version BECAUSE it's the Disney version and not an exact replica of the book. We all ready HAVE the damned book. If you want that version of the story, READ IT! It's there. So, why not stay truer to the spirit of the animated film? This is all speculation, of course, based upon what I've read of the changes that have been made. Some of them (explicitly making Frollo a former priest), I'm TOTALLY down with. But, cutting the Gargoyles? Changing Clopin so radically? Killing Esmeralda? I can't say these are making me anything other than anxious.
Gringoire was just as bad. Probably WORSE, actually, that little goat fucker. Seriously. He was WAY too into Djali. Saving the goat's life at the end and leaving Esmeralda to be taken by Frollo. If he had helped her then, the way SHE helped him in the Court of Miracles, she might have lived. But all he cared about was absconding with her goat. Creep.DisneyFan09 wrote:Phoebus is just as much of an asshole and although I don't remember every detail from the book, you're mostly right about the characters being unlikeable, although I thought at least Gringoire had some decency.
Here's an in depth review that explains the deafness a little moreDisney Duster wrote:If it's true Quasimodo will be completely deaf and use sign language, I find that a bad idea because he has, well, songs to sing. Really big songs.
But if he's only partially deaf and can still hear a little, and he sings, then I could understand it.
But what would make the most sense and what I think would be best is him not being deaf and being able to sing those songs in reality.
CLUCKOh, I forgot. I'm sorryProfessorRatigan wrote: Gringoire was just as bad. Probably WORSE, actually, that little goat fucker. Seriously. He was WAY too into Djali. Saving the goat's life at the end and leaving Esmeralda to be taken by Frollo. If he had helped her then, the way SHE helped him in the Court of Miracles, she might have lived. But all he cared about was absconding with her goat. Creep.
